Monday, 19 June 2017

A US strike aircraft shot down a Syrian regime fighter
jet on Sunday (18 June), the Pentagon said. The downing of the government
aircraft came shortly after Syrian forces bombed US-backed Syrian
Democratic Forces (SDF) in the village of Ja'Din, southwest of Raqqa.

The incident marks the fourth time within a month that
the US military has attacked pro-Syrian government forces, The Washington Post
reported. It is also the first time the US has shot down a manned hostile
aircraft in more than 10 years.

The Syrian military said the aircraft's pilot was killed
in the attack and that the jet was carrying out a mission against Isis at the
time of the downing.

"The attack stresses coordination between the US and
Isis, and it reveals the evil intentions of the US in administrating terrorism
and investing it to pass the US-Zionist project in the region," the Syrian
military said in the statement.

The Pentagon noted that the US military used a
deconfliction channel to communicate with Russia, Syria's main ally, before
downing the plane to prevent the incident from escalating. US-led aircraft
ended the fighting by flying close to the ground at a low speed in what is
referred to as a "show of force".

Despite the calls to stand down and the US presence, the
Syrian Su-22 jet dropped an unknown number of munitions on the SDF. US Central
Command spokesman Col John Thomas said the Syrian jet arrived with little
warning, The Post reported. US forces in the area were not directly threatened,
he added.

Thomas said that a nearby US aircraft attempted to hail
the Syrian aircraft after the bombing. After hailing attempts failed, a US
F/A-18 shot down the Syrian jet "in accordance with rules of engagement
and in collective self-defence of coalition partnered forces," the
Pentagon said.

According to the Post, Thomas rejected the Syrian military's
claim that the aircraft was bombing Isis, noting that Ja'Din is under the
control of SDF and that Isis has not been in the area for some time.

The attack by the Syrian regime caused an unknown number
of casualties and drove out SDF fighters, the coalition said, according to NBC
News. "The Coalition's mission is to defeat Isis in Iraq and Syria,"
a statement from the coalition said.

"The Coalition does not seek to fight Syrian regime,
Russian, or pro-regime forces partnered with them, but will not hesitate to
defend Coalition or partner forces from any threat."

The SDF, which is comprised of Syrian Kurds and other
Arab fighters, is considered by the US to be an important ally in the fight
against Isis.